When I fall, I don't just scrape a knee, I break something and that means trying to figure out how to get back up off my duff and get back into the swing of things.
Sadly, I did that here and feel a bit banged up, but think I can recover quickly, but I need your help.
In the beginning of the year, I wanted to showcase some of the amazing quilters I have been blessed to have come into my live and share their quilting and compassion of others with those 'unseen heroes,' our 911 dispatchers and their families.
I got to January and February and then ran into some medical issues and then the huge Oso landslide disaster and the eastern Washington fires and more medical issues and taking on another grandchild in July and homeschooling one this year. Wow!!! Time Flew!
I really didn't mean to ignore my amazing quilters, it wasn't my intention to do that, but I can't showcase myself. So forgive me and lets start this again.
I would like to showcase one of you to be on my blog. I ask about 10 questions and if they seem to personal you do not need to answer or can do so with just what you want to share.
I would like a few pictures of your quilts, your quilt space, etc. to put with the interview. Really simple stuff. I send you the questions, you copy and paste and send to me and you are showcased on the blog and Facebook for a month.
You also do NOT have to have a blog to be show cased as I know many of you read others but don't have one yourself.
Lets get started for October. I shared quilters in January and February, now lets get October started!
Friday, September 19, 2014
Saturday, September 13, 2014
Many Still In Tents
Now look at this picture and imagine you just lost everything you owned and this is where you are living. If you don't think it can happen to you, you had better think again.
This year, I met some amazing people I would never have met had it not been for that blink of an eye life change and a mountain sliding down and burying people, animals and possessions.
Then there was the eastern Washington wild fires where again in the blink of an eye, people lost everything and that is what this post is about. The people who I just discovered are still homeless and many are living in tents.
The one pictured above is my grandsons, but I can tell you, I don't care how big it is, it is still a tent and winter for these people is right around the corner and I am talking cold wet rain, hail, snow and they are living in tents.
Now, we can't help them with housing, but we can sure help them keep a bit warmer by sending quilts that are thick and warm and large enough to snuggle under or put under a sleeping bag or inside or around a sleeping bag.
I just received information that there are many people homeless and living in tents in the area. I said tents, NOT FEMA trailers that are enclosed, but tents!
Last I heard about this area, our governor was appealing the decision from FEMA to NOT help these residents.
These are proud people, living in a very small community that helps each other out, but they do not have the ability to check into a hotel or rent an apartment, the area isn't built like that!
Please, if you can, mail me some quilts. I hope to deliver by mid October and right now, we are short by at least 200.
Friday, September 12, 2014
Dispatcher's Husband Suffers Stroke
Megan Mcclanahan, a CHP dispatcher needs some assistance from her LE family.
A couple days ago her husband, Zee, suffered a stroke while out of town. They have 5 children, so this family depends on two incomes. Being that he was hospitalized away from home, there is the added expense of being out of town and away from work for an extended time. I've repeatedly seen Megan be selfless, sacrifice, and go without in order to help her family, children, friends, and coworkers - now she needs our help.
Cards can be sent to:
CHP Border Communications Center
7183 Opportunity Road
San Diego, CA 92111
Attention: PSD Megan Mcclanahan
**Please include that you heard about this through Layers of Hope - Quilting 911**
A couple days ago her husband, Zee, suffered a stroke while out of town. They have 5 children, so this family depends on two incomes. Being that he was hospitalized away from home, there is the added expense of being out of town and away from work for an extended time. I've repeatedly seen Megan be selfless, sacrifice, and go without in order to help her family, children, friends, and coworkers - now she needs our help.
Cards can be sent to:
CHP Border Communications Center
7183 Opportunity Road
San Diego, CA 92111
Attention: PSD Megan Mcclanahan
**Please include that you heard about this through Layers of Hope - Quilting 911**
Dispatcher Looses Love of Her Life
Here at the LaPorte County RDC our hearts are heavy. I am writing you
today for prayers and support. Our afternoon shift supervisor, Nikki
Nixon, is going through the most difficult time of her life right now.
Early morning on Saturday August 30th, her boyfriend was fatally stabbed at a local bar. (Read article) He was the love of her life and they had been discussing marriage.
Nikki is the nicest, sweetest girl and is having a difficult time with this horrific tragedy. Any thoughts, prayers, cards, etc. that you can pass her way is very greatly appreciated. You may send cards and well wishes to:
LaPorte County RDC
809 State St.
LaPorte, IN 46350
ATTN: Nikki Nixon
**Remember to let her know you heard about this tragedy through Layers of Hope - Quilting 911**
Early morning on Saturday August 30th, her boyfriend was fatally stabbed at a local bar. (Read article) He was the love of her life and they had been discussing marriage.
Nikki is the nicest, sweetest girl and is having a difficult time with this horrific tragedy. Any thoughts, prayers, cards, etc. that you can pass her way is very greatly appreciated. You may send cards and well wishes to:
LaPorte County RDC
809 State St.
LaPorte, IN 46350
ATTN: Nikki Nixon
**Remember to let her know you heard about this tragedy through Layers of Hope - Quilting 911**
Crohn's Disease Hinders 911 Dispatcher
I would like to take a moment to introduce a Night Shift Supervisor
that has selflessly given so much over the years, and is now fighting a
life threating condition. Melissa “Boggs” Barker is an 8 year veteran
dispatcher/supervisor with the Hamilton County Public Safety
Communication Center located in Noblesville, IN.
Melissa was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease during childhood, and now at the age of 28 her condition has become life threatening. Melissa’s mother owns a wrecker company that has provided services for the citizens of Hamilton County and surrounding counties as well as the communications center for several years. The towing services are often times provided free of charge due to the individuals lack of funds during hard times.
Melissa required surgery back in October 2013 to repair damage caused by her Crohn’s Disease, but after the surgery her condition worsened. Over the course of the next 10.5 months, Melissa visited her IU Health doctors on a regular basis with no affirmative determination for the drastic decline in her health.
In an attempt to obtain answers, Melissa finally made the decision to visit the Mayo Clinic located in Minnesota. After meeting with the medical staff at the Mayo Clinic, Melissa learned that her condition was life threatening and she would require another complicated surgery in an attempt to repair major damage caused by the Crohn’s Disease.
The doctors explained to Melissa that she will be hospitalized for approximately 2 weeks after surgery. Also, over the course of the next 6 months she will need to commute back and forth from the Mayo Clinic every 2 weeks. Melissa is currently out of sick time, and soon will be out of short-term disability.
In addition to her monthly household bills, Melissa and her husband will need money to pay for hotels, fuel, food, and other expenses while visiting the Mayo Clinic for appointments. Melissa is unable to drive due to the medication she is taking; therefore her husband must accompany her on these trips.
While he is away from work, he is only receiving a partial paycheck that will come to an end in the next few weeks.
Melissa struggles with this disease everyday but refuses to let on that she is suffering from the pain. She is passionate about her job and is making every effort to get back to work as soon as possible. Her co-workers are trying to organize a dinner to benefit Melissa and collecting donations to assist with her travel expenses and bills.
Melissa Barker
21563 Victory Chapel Rd
Noblesville, IN 46060
**Please when sending cards to this family, remember to mention Layers of Hope - Quilting 911 so they know where you learned about them.**
Melissa was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease during childhood, and now at the age of 28 her condition has become life threatening. Melissa’s mother owns a wrecker company that has provided services for the citizens of Hamilton County and surrounding counties as well as the communications center for several years. The towing services are often times provided free of charge due to the individuals lack of funds during hard times.
Melissa required surgery back in October 2013 to repair damage caused by her Crohn’s Disease, but after the surgery her condition worsened. Over the course of the next 10.5 months, Melissa visited her IU Health doctors on a regular basis with no affirmative determination for the drastic decline in her health.
In an attempt to obtain answers, Melissa finally made the decision to visit the Mayo Clinic located in Minnesota. After meeting with the medical staff at the Mayo Clinic, Melissa learned that her condition was life threatening and she would require another complicated surgery in an attempt to repair major damage caused by the Crohn’s Disease.
The doctors explained to Melissa that she will be hospitalized for approximately 2 weeks after surgery. Also, over the course of the next 6 months she will need to commute back and forth from the Mayo Clinic every 2 weeks. Melissa is currently out of sick time, and soon will be out of short-term disability.
In addition to her monthly household bills, Melissa and her husband will need money to pay for hotels, fuel, food, and other expenses while visiting the Mayo Clinic for appointments. Melissa is unable to drive due to the medication she is taking; therefore her husband must accompany her on these trips.
While he is away from work, he is only receiving a partial paycheck that will come to an end in the next few weeks.
Melissa struggles with this disease everyday but refuses to let on that she is suffering from the pain. She is passionate about her job and is making every effort to get back to work as soon as possible. Her co-workers are trying to organize a dinner to benefit Melissa and collecting donations to assist with her travel expenses and bills.
Melissa Barker
21563 Victory Chapel Rd
Noblesville, IN 46060
**Please when sending cards to this family, remember to mention Layers of Hope - Quilting 911 so they know where you learned about them.**
Illinois 911 Hero Has Motorcycle Accident
We recently experienced a heavy blow when one of our dispatchers, David
Gonzales, was in a serious motorcycle crash while on his way to work.
Our center actually took the 911 calls for his accident and then
discovered when he did not arrive for his schedule shift that the
accident involved him.
At Northwest Central Dispatch you will find many dedicated, caring, and helpful employees that are always ready and willing to help out the communities they dispatch for as well as each other. David Gonzales is most certainly one of these people whom his coworkers would describe as, “a great person and friend.” He is one of the people you have no problem turning to if you’re questioning a call you took or in need of assistance getting a shift covered.
Outside of work, David is also a dedicated family man to his wife and three daughters who are 17, 15, and 2 years old. He just recently took time off of work in order to improve on the home they live in. Another activity that David regular enjoys is being able to go out for rides on his 2007 Suzuki Boulevard motorcycle. He took frequent rides out with close friends from work as well as with the motorcycle group he belongs to and regularly rode his motorcycle into work.
It was on such a night, on August 27th, 2014 at approximately 10:30PM that the Gonzales family were made to face one of their biggest challenges. A driver of a Ford Expedition struck David’s motorcycle as he was turning into a restaurant parking lot to pick up an order turned in front of David and struck him. David was thrown from the motorcycle and the driver of the Ford took off. Thanks to many witnesses and a delivery driver from the restaurant, police were able to apprehend the offender within four hours. David’s family, as well as his extended family at Northwest Central Dispatch, are incredibly grateful to all the people who assisted to catch the offender. It was our very own call center that took the 911 calls for David’s accident. When David did not arrive for his scheduled shift, the pieces fell into place.
When the news of David’s accident reached his family and those at Northwest Central Dispatch, there were no other words to describe how everyone felt except complete devastation. Anyone who knows David knows what a wonderful and kind hearted person he is. To imagine that he would be the one to suffer from such an accident and have someone attempt to relieve themselves of any responsibility by leaving the scene of the accident instead of providing aid to David is beyond our comprehension. Despite feeling such a loss, everyone has come together with an immense amount of love and support for David and his family.
Currently David is still in intensive care at Lutheran General Hospital. At this time, his wife, Maria Gonzales, asks more than anything for your prayers and thoughts for David and their family. David suffers from a cracked vertebrae as well as a head injury, but we are looking forward to him hopefully making a full recovery. Gifts of a monetary value are also greatly appreciated as they anticipate many potential hardships during this recovery. We have set a goal at this time for $10,000 to cover expenses for the family traveling from their home to the hospital and to alleviate other expenses while David is out of work. Checks can be made out to David or Maria Gonzales. Please send any donations and letters to:
Northwest Central Dispatch
C/O Shasta Green
1975 E Davis St
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
**During long periods of recovery, I know his family and David would so appreciate receiving cards and letters to keep them going.** Also, please remember to let these families know you heard about their ordeal via Layers of Hope - Quilting 911, so they know!
At Northwest Central Dispatch you will find many dedicated, caring, and helpful employees that are always ready and willing to help out the communities they dispatch for as well as each other. David Gonzales is most certainly one of these people whom his coworkers would describe as, “a great person and friend.” He is one of the people you have no problem turning to if you’re questioning a call you took or in need of assistance getting a shift covered.
Outside of work, David is also a dedicated family man to his wife and three daughters who are 17, 15, and 2 years old. He just recently took time off of work in order to improve on the home they live in. Another activity that David regular enjoys is being able to go out for rides on his 2007 Suzuki Boulevard motorcycle. He took frequent rides out with close friends from work as well as with the motorcycle group he belongs to and regularly rode his motorcycle into work.
It was on such a night, on August 27th, 2014 at approximately 10:30PM that the Gonzales family were made to face one of their biggest challenges. A driver of a Ford Expedition struck David’s motorcycle as he was turning into a restaurant parking lot to pick up an order turned in front of David and struck him. David was thrown from the motorcycle and the driver of the Ford took off. Thanks to many witnesses and a delivery driver from the restaurant, police were able to apprehend the offender within four hours. David’s family, as well as his extended family at Northwest Central Dispatch, are incredibly grateful to all the people who assisted to catch the offender. It was our very own call center that took the 911 calls for David’s accident. When David did not arrive for his scheduled shift, the pieces fell into place.
When the news of David’s accident reached his family and those at Northwest Central Dispatch, there were no other words to describe how everyone felt except complete devastation. Anyone who knows David knows what a wonderful and kind hearted person he is. To imagine that he would be the one to suffer from such an accident and have someone attempt to relieve themselves of any responsibility by leaving the scene of the accident instead of providing aid to David is beyond our comprehension. Despite feeling such a loss, everyone has come together with an immense amount of love and support for David and his family.
Currently David is still in intensive care at Lutheran General Hospital. At this time, his wife, Maria Gonzales, asks more than anything for your prayers and thoughts for David and their family. David suffers from a cracked vertebrae as well as a head injury, but we are looking forward to him hopefully making a full recovery. Gifts of a monetary value are also greatly appreciated as they anticipate many potential hardships during this recovery. We have set a goal at this time for $10,000 to cover expenses for the family traveling from their home to the hospital and to alleviate other expenses while David is out of work. Checks can be made out to David or Maria Gonzales. Please send any donations and letters to:
Northwest Central Dispatch
C/O Shasta Green
1975 E Davis St
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
**During long periods of recovery, I know his family and David would so appreciate receiving cards and letters to keep them going.** Also, please remember to let these families know you heard about their ordeal via Layers of Hope - Quilting 911, so they know!
Mississippi 911 Unseen Hero Needs Our Cards and Support
Jordan Oliveria had been sick on and off the past year and was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 27 a few months ago.
At this time Jordan doesn't know what stage his cancer is in due to his insurance not covering his PET scan and the doctors couldn't tell on the CT if the lymph nodes were enlarged from infection or was the cancer.
His doctors are being very aggressive fighting his cancer with chemo treatment every day with a break on the weekends. He will have surgery in the next few months and hopefully get all the cancer there is. After surgery, Jordan will endure more chemo and radiation for a 6 month period.
He's working on and off at the moment, coming in when he feels up to it. All his co-workers have pitched in to make sure he has everything he needs, but more support can't hurt.
Please send any cards or form of support to:
Southaven Police Dept
ATTN: Jordan Oliveria
8691 Northwest Dr
Southaven, MS 38671
**Always make sure when sending cards, etc., that you let the recipient know you heard about them via Layers of Hope - Quilting 911.*
At this time Jordan doesn't know what stage his cancer is in due to his insurance not covering his PET scan and the doctors couldn't tell on the CT if the lymph nodes were enlarged from infection or was the cancer.
His doctors are being very aggressive fighting his cancer with chemo treatment every day with a break on the weekends. He will have surgery in the next few months and hopefully get all the cancer there is. After surgery, Jordan will endure more chemo and radiation for a 6 month period.
He's working on and off at the moment, coming in when he feels up to it. All his co-workers have pitched in to make sure he has everything he needs, but more support can't hurt.
Please send any cards or form of support to:
Southaven Police Dept
ATTN: Jordan Oliveria
8691 Northwest Dr
Southaven, MS 38671
**Always make sure when sending cards, etc., that you let the recipient know you heard about them via Layers of Hope - Quilting 911.*
Dispatcher Needs Support for Adrenal Cancer
Irena has
Adrenal Cancer and is going through some tough times. If you can reach
out to her with a card or more to bless her that would be awesome.
rena Bones-Gaston has been diagnosed with Stage 2/3 Adrenal Cancer and is currently waiting on admission to Cancer Care Center. Since she has been off of work with illness, she has fallen on some hard times personally. She has discovered that she has some major repairs to make on her home. If theses repairs are not made, she and her family can no longer live there. Through all of this, Irena still has kept her faith and keeps pushing on.
Her department is trying to keep Irena’s family above water while she goes through this hard phase of her life. If anyone would like to send cards, notes of encouragement or assist financially, please send them to :
Kimberly Hartman
c/o York County Department of Emergency Services
120 Davies Dr.
York, PA 17402.
** If donating money, please make checks out to Irena Bones-Gaston. Kimberly will make sure to hand deliver everything we receive for her**
**Always ensure when sending cards, etc. that you let the families know you heard about them through Layers of Hope - Quilting 911.**
rena Bones-Gaston has been diagnosed with Stage 2/3 Adrenal Cancer and is currently waiting on admission to Cancer Care Center. Since she has been off of work with illness, she has fallen on some hard times personally. She has discovered that she has some major repairs to make on her home. If theses repairs are not made, she and her family can no longer live there. Through all of this, Irena still has kept her faith and keeps pushing on.
Her department is trying to keep Irena’s family above water while she goes through this hard phase of her life. If anyone would like to send cards, notes of encouragement or assist financially, please send them to :
Kimberly Hartman
c/o York County Department of Emergency Services
120 Davies Dr.
York, PA 17402.
** If donating money, please make checks out to Irena Bones-Gaston. Kimberly will make sure to hand deliver everything we receive for her**
**Always ensure when sending cards, etc. that you let the families know you heard about them through Layers of Hope - Quilting 911.**
Lets Reach Out To These Unseen Heroes In Need
We are still praying for more quilts to take with us to Okanogan County in Eastern Washington in October. Please, we do NOT need infant or lap quilts at this time, but desperately need bed sized quilts such as twin, full, etc.
Please help us bless these families who lost so much and are struggling as winter and the cold approaches. As the Red Cross has probably pulled out and FEMA (if they were there at all) leaves, these families are left with trying to put their lives back together.
The one thing everyone always tells me is how much our quilts mean to them. During their dark times, they knew someone cared and these quilts brought them comfort.
Please send quilts to:
Jean Kester
18740 Ivan Street SW
Rochester, WA 98579
Be the one that makes a difference!
*******************************************************
The following people have already had quilts sent to them, however, they need cards of encouragement and comfort. Please take a moment to send one or all of them a card to let them know you care and make sure you put Layers of Hope - Quilting 911 in it so they know how you learned about them. **Addresses for these people follow their information, do not send cards to me just send them directly to those in need**
1- Irena has Adrenal Cancer and is going through some tough times. If you can reach out to her with a card or more to bless her that would be awesome.
rena Bones-Gaston has been diagnosed with Stage 2/3 Adrenal Cancer and is currently waiting on admission to Cancer Care Center. Since she has been off of work with illness, she has fallen on some hard times personally. She has discovered that she has some major repairs to make on her home. If theses repairs are not made, she and her family can no longer live there. Through all of this, Irena still has kept her faith and keeps pushing on.
We are trying to keep Irena’s family above water while she goes through this hard phase of her life. If anyone would like to send cards, notes of encouragement or assist financially, please send them to Kimberly Hartman c/o York County Department of Emergency Services, 120 Davies Dr, York, PA 17402. If donating money, please make checks out to Irena Bones-Gaston. I will make sure to hand deliver everything we receive here.
2-Jordan Oliveria had been sick on and off the past year and was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 27 a few months ago.
At this time Jordan doesn't know what stage his cancer is in due to his insurance not covering his PET scan and the doctors couldn't tell on the CT if the lymph nodes were enlarged from infection or was the cancer.
His doctors are being very aggressive fighting his cancer with chemo treatment every day with a break on the weekends. He will have surgery in the next few months and hopefully get all the cancer there is. After surgery, Jordan will endure more chemo and radiation for a 6 month period.
He's working on and off at the moment, coming in when he feels up to it. All his co-workers have pitched in to make sure he has everything he needs, but more support can't hurt.
Please send any cards or form of support to:
Southaven Police Dept
ATTN: Jordan Oliveria
8691 Northwest Dr
Southaven, MS 38671
3-We recently experienced a heavy blow when one of our dispatchers, David Gonzales, was in a serious motorcycle crash while on his way to work. Our center actually took the 911 calls for his accident and then discovered when he did not arrive for his schedule shift that the accident involved him.
At Northwest Central Dispatch you will find many dedicated, caring, and helpful employees that are always ready and willing to help out the communities they dispatch for as well as each other. David Gonzales is most certainly one of these people whom his coworkers would describe as, “a great person and friend.” He is one of the people you have no problem turning to if you’re questioning a call you took or in need of assistance getting a shift covered.
Outside of work, David is also a dedicated family man to his wife and three daughters who are 17, 15, and 2 years old. He just recently took time off of work in order to improve on the home they live in. Another activity that David regular enjoys is being able to go out for rides on his 2007 Suzuki Boulevard motorcycle. He took frequent rides out with close friends from work as well as with the motorcycle group he belongs to and regularly rode his motorcycle into work.
It was on such a night, on August 27th, 2014 at approximately 10:30PM that the Gonzales family were made to face one of their biggest challenges. A driver of a Ford Expedition struck David’s motorcycle as he was turning into a restaurant parking lot to pick up an order turned in front of David and struck him. David was thrown from the motorcycle and the driver of the Ford took off. Thanks to many witnesses and a delivery driver from the restaurant, police were able to apprehend the offender within four hours. David’s family, as well as his extended family at Northwest Central Dispatch, are incredibly grateful to all the people who assisted to catch the offender. It was our very own call center that took the 911 calls for David’s accident. When David did not arrive for his scheduled shift, the pieces fell into place.
When the news of David’s accident reached his family and those at Northwest Central Dispatch, there were no other words to describe how everyone felt except complete devastation. Anyone who knows David knows what a wonderful and kind hearted person he is. To imagine that he would be the one to suffer from such an accident and have someone attempt to relieve themselves of any responsibility by leaving the scene of the accident instead of providing aid to David is beyond our comprehension. Despite feeling such a loss, everyone has come together with an immense amount of love and support for David and his family.
Currently David is still in intensive care at Lutheran General Hospital. At this time, his wife, Maria Gonzales, asks more than anything for your prayers and thoughts for David and their family. David suffers from a cracked vertebrae as well as a head injury, but we are looking forward to him hopefully making a full recovery. Gifts of a monetary value are also greatly appreciated as they anticipate many potential hardships during this recovery. We have set a goal at this time for $10,000 to cover expenses for the family traveling from their home to the hospital and to alleviate other expenses while David is out of work. Checks can be made out to David or Maria Gonzales. Please send any donations and letters to:
Northwest Central Dispatch
C/O Shasta Green
1975 E Davis St
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
**During long periods of recovery, I know his family and David would so appreciate receiving cards and letters to keep them going.**
4- would like to take a moment to introduce a Night Shift Supervisor that has selflessly given so much over the years, and is now fighting a life threating condition. Melissa “Boggs” Barker is an 8 year veteran dispatcher/supervisor with the Hamilton County Public Safety Communication Center located in Noblesville, IN. Melissa was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease during childhood, and now at the age of 28 her condition has become life threatening. Melissa’s mother owns a wrecker company that has provided services for the citizens of Hamilton County and surrounding counties as well as the communications center for several years. The towing services are often times provided free of charge due to the individuals lack of funds during hard times.
Melissa required surgery back in October 2013 to repair damage caused by her Crohn’s Disease, but after the surgery her condition worsened. Over the course of the next 10.5 months, Melissa visited her IU Health doctors on a regular basis with no affirmative determination for the drastic decline in her health. In an attempt to obtain answers, Melissa finally made the decision to visit the Mayo Clinic located in Minnesota. After meeting with the medical staff at the Mayo Clinic, Melissa learned that her condition was life threatening and she would require another complicated surgery in an attempt to repair major damage caused by the Crohn’s Disease. The doctors explained to Melissa that she will be hospitalized for approximately 2 weeks after surgery. Also, over the course of the next 6 months she will need to commute back and forth from the Mayo Clinic every 2 weeks. Melissa is currently out of sick time, and soon will be out of short-term disability. In addition to her monthly household bills, Melissa and her husband will need money to pay for hotels, fuel, food, and other expenses while visiting the Mayo Clinic for appointments. Melissa is unable to drive due to the medication she is taking; therefore her husband must accompany her on these trips. While he is away from work, he is only receiving a partial paycheck that will come to an end in the next few weeks.
Melissa struggles with this disease everyday but refuses to let on that she is suffering from the pain. She is passionate about her job and is making every effort to get back to work as soon as possible. Her co-workers are trying to organize a dinner to benefit Melissa and collecting donations to assist with her travel expenses and bills.
Melissa Barker
21563 Victory Chapel Rd
Noblesville, IN 46060
5- Megan Mcclanahan, a CHP dispatcher needs some assistance from her LE family.
A couple days ago her husband, Zee, suffered a stroke while out of town. They have 5 children, so this family depends on two incomes. Being that he was hospitalized away from home, there is the added expense of being out of town and away from work for an extended time. I've repeatedly seen Megan be selfless, sacrifice, and go without in order to help her family, children, friends, and coworkers - now she needs our help.
6-
Here at the LaPorte County RDC our hearts are heavy. I am writing you today for prayers and support. Our afternoon shift supervisor, Nikki Nixon, is going through the most difficult time of her life right now.
Early morning on Saturday August 30th, her boyfriend was fatally stabbed at a local bar. (Read article) He was the love of her life and they had been discussing marriage.
Nikki is the nicest, sweetest girl and is having a difficult time with this horrific tragedy. Any thoughts, prayers, cards, etc. that you can pass her way is very greatly appreciated. You may send cards and well wishes to:
LaPorte County RDC
809 State St.
LaPorte, IN 46350
ATTN: Nikki Nixon
**Remember, send your cards and thoughts and prayers to the addresses listed under each of these needs.** I am also setting up a post for each one individually!
Blessings to all!
Please help us bless these families who lost so much and are struggling as winter and the cold approaches. As the Red Cross has probably pulled out and FEMA (if they were there at all) leaves, these families are left with trying to put their lives back together.
The one thing everyone always tells me is how much our quilts mean to them. During their dark times, they knew someone cared and these quilts brought them comfort.
Please send quilts to:
Jean Kester
18740 Ivan Street SW
Rochester, WA 98579
Be the one that makes a difference!
*******************************************************
The following people have already had quilts sent to them, however, they need cards of encouragement and comfort. Please take a moment to send one or all of them a card to let them know you care and make sure you put Layers of Hope - Quilting 911 in it so they know how you learned about them. **Addresses for these people follow their information, do not send cards to me just send them directly to those in need**
1- Irena has Adrenal Cancer and is going through some tough times. If you can reach out to her with a card or more to bless her that would be awesome.
rena Bones-Gaston has been diagnosed with Stage 2/3 Adrenal Cancer and is currently waiting on admission to Cancer Care Center. Since she has been off of work with illness, she has fallen on some hard times personally. She has discovered that she has some major repairs to make on her home. If theses repairs are not made, she and her family can no longer live there. Through all of this, Irena still has kept her faith and keeps pushing on.
We are trying to keep Irena’s family above water while she goes through this hard phase of her life. If anyone would like to send cards, notes of encouragement or assist financially, please send them to Kimberly Hartman c/o York County Department of Emergency Services, 120 Davies Dr, York, PA 17402. If donating money, please make checks out to Irena Bones-Gaston. I will make sure to hand deliver everything we receive here.
2-Jordan Oliveria had been sick on and off the past year and was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 27 a few months ago.
At this time Jordan doesn't know what stage his cancer is in due to his insurance not covering his PET scan and the doctors couldn't tell on the CT if the lymph nodes were enlarged from infection or was the cancer.
His doctors are being very aggressive fighting his cancer with chemo treatment every day with a break on the weekends. He will have surgery in the next few months and hopefully get all the cancer there is. After surgery, Jordan will endure more chemo and radiation for a 6 month period.
He's working on and off at the moment, coming in when he feels up to it. All his co-workers have pitched in to make sure he has everything he needs, but more support can't hurt.
Please send any cards or form of support to:
Southaven Police Dept
ATTN: Jordan Oliveria
8691 Northwest Dr
Southaven, MS 38671
3-We recently experienced a heavy blow when one of our dispatchers, David Gonzales, was in a serious motorcycle crash while on his way to work. Our center actually took the 911 calls for his accident and then discovered when he did not arrive for his schedule shift that the accident involved him.
At Northwest Central Dispatch you will find many dedicated, caring, and helpful employees that are always ready and willing to help out the communities they dispatch for as well as each other. David Gonzales is most certainly one of these people whom his coworkers would describe as, “a great person and friend.” He is one of the people you have no problem turning to if you’re questioning a call you took or in need of assistance getting a shift covered.
Outside of work, David is also a dedicated family man to his wife and three daughters who are 17, 15, and 2 years old. He just recently took time off of work in order to improve on the home they live in. Another activity that David regular enjoys is being able to go out for rides on his 2007 Suzuki Boulevard motorcycle. He took frequent rides out with close friends from work as well as with the motorcycle group he belongs to and regularly rode his motorcycle into work.
It was on such a night, on August 27th, 2014 at approximately 10:30PM that the Gonzales family were made to face one of their biggest challenges. A driver of a Ford Expedition struck David’s motorcycle as he was turning into a restaurant parking lot to pick up an order turned in front of David and struck him. David was thrown from the motorcycle and the driver of the Ford took off. Thanks to many witnesses and a delivery driver from the restaurant, police were able to apprehend the offender within four hours. David’s family, as well as his extended family at Northwest Central Dispatch, are incredibly grateful to all the people who assisted to catch the offender. It was our very own call center that took the 911 calls for David’s accident. When David did not arrive for his scheduled shift, the pieces fell into place.
When the news of David’s accident reached his family and those at Northwest Central Dispatch, there were no other words to describe how everyone felt except complete devastation. Anyone who knows David knows what a wonderful and kind hearted person he is. To imagine that he would be the one to suffer from such an accident and have someone attempt to relieve themselves of any responsibility by leaving the scene of the accident instead of providing aid to David is beyond our comprehension. Despite feeling such a loss, everyone has come together with an immense amount of love and support for David and his family.
Currently David is still in intensive care at Lutheran General Hospital. At this time, his wife, Maria Gonzales, asks more than anything for your prayers and thoughts for David and their family. David suffers from a cracked vertebrae as well as a head injury, but we are looking forward to him hopefully making a full recovery. Gifts of a monetary value are also greatly appreciated as they anticipate many potential hardships during this recovery. We have set a goal at this time for $10,000 to cover expenses for the family traveling from their home to the hospital and to alleviate other expenses while David is out of work. Checks can be made out to David or Maria Gonzales. Please send any donations and letters to:
Northwest Central Dispatch
C/O Shasta Green
1975 E Davis St
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
**During long periods of recovery, I know his family and David would so appreciate receiving cards and letters to keep them going.**
4- would like to take a moment to introduce a Night Shift Supervisor that has selflessly given so much over the years, and is now fighting a life threating condition. Melissa “Boggs” Barker is an 8 year veteran dispatcher/supervisor with the Hamilton County Public Safety Communication Center located in Noblesville, IN. Melissa was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease during childhood, and now at the age of 28 her condition has become life threatening. Melissa’s mother owns a wrecker company that has provided services for the citizens of Hamilton County and surrounding counties as well as the communications center for several years. The towing services are often times provided free of charge due to the individuals lack of funds during hard times.
Melissa required surgery back in October 2013 to repair damage caused by her Crohn’s Disease, but after the surgery her condition worsened. Over the course of the next 10.5 months, Melissa visited her IU Health doctors on a regular basis with no affirmative determination for the drastic decline in her health. In an attempt to obtain answers, Melissa finally made the decision to visit the Mayo Clinic located in Minnesota. After meeting with the medical staff at the Mayo Clinic, Melissa learned that her condition was life threatening and she would require another complicated surgery in an attempt to repair major damage caused by the Crohn’s Disease. The doctors explained to Melissa that she will be hospitalized for approximately 2 weeks after surgery. Also, over the course of the next 6 months she will need to commute back and forth from the Mayo Clinic every 2 weeks. Melissa is currently out of sick time, and soon will be out of short-term disability. In addition to her monthly household bills, Melissa and her husband will need money to pay for hotels, fuel, food, and other expenses while visiting the Mayo Clinic for appointments. Melissa is unable to drive due to the medication she is taking; therefore her husband must accompany her on these trips. While he is away from work, he is only receiving a partial paycheck that will come to an end in the next few weeks.
Melissa struggles with this disease everyday but refuses to let on that she is suffering from the pain. She is passionate about her job and is making every effort to get back to work as soon as possible. Her co-workers are trying to organize a dinner to benefit Melissa and collecting donations to assist with her travel expenses and bills.
Melissa Barker
21563 Victory Chapel Rd
Noblesville, IN 46060
5- Megan Mcclanahan, a CHP dispatcher needs some assistance from her LE family.
A couple days ago her husband, Zee, suffered a stroke while out of town. They have 5 children, so this family depends on two incomes. Being that he was hospitalized away from home, there is the added expense of being out of town and away from work for an extended time. I've repeatedly seen Megan be selfless, sacrifice, and go without in order to help her family, children, friends, and coworkers - now she needs our help.
6-
Here at the LaPorte County RDC our hearts are heavy. I am writing you today for prayers and support. Our afternoon shift supervisor, Nikki Nixon, is going through the most difficult time of her life right now.
Early morning on Saturday August 30th, her boyfriend was fatally stabbed at a local bar. (Read article) He was the love of her life and they had been discussing marriage.
Nikki is the nicest, sweetest girl and is having a difficult time with this horrific tragedy. Any thoughts, prayers, cards, etc. that you can pass her way is very greatly appreciated. You may send cards and well wishes to:
LaPorte County RDC
809 State St.
LaPorte, IN 46350
ATTN: Nikki Nixon
**Remember, send your cards and thoughts and prayers to the addresses listed under each of these needs.** I am also setting up a post for each one individually!
Blessings to all!
Friday, September 5, 2014
Hitting Close to Home
The community of 911 communications is pretty small in comparison to many other jobs in the world and it takes someone pretty dedicated and strong willed and strong nerves to do it.
The community of law enforcement is just slightly larger, but in comparison to many other jobs, it is small. Within the confines you will find many police officers and fire fighters married to 911 communications operators, it just goes with the territory sometimes.
When I retired from my career in 911 communications and moved to Washington and continued reaching out to our 'unseen heroes,' behind the radio and at times first responders, I always knew in the back of my mind, sooner or later I would be making a quilt for someone I worked with.
Little did I realize I would be making a quilt for an officer who is engaged to a 911 operator that I trained. I worked with both of these people and they are pretty special.
The one memory I have that sticks out is that while she was a trainee, I had him call in a bogus call of someone that was mentally ill to see how she could handle the situation. No! I wasn't picking on the mentally ill, I put my trainee's through many varying situations.
He calls and tells her there are people in his back yard and while she is asking the questions, he tells her they are purple and getting out of a tiny space ship. The look on her face was priceless, but she kept probing for information and he kept going and then hung up.
Without giving it a thought, she immediately followed protocol and called him back. By then, she knew it was a training exercise because he couldn't keep from laughing and I was trying hard not to.
The officer had a kidney removed that was cancerous years ago and now, his remaining kidney is failing and he can no longer work while he does home dialysis and waits for a kidney.
The quilt I have been working on for the past month or so will go to him. I felt it took so long to make because God knew this officer would have a need for it. I feel blessed to do this for such a dedicated man!
The community of law enforcement is just slightly larger, but in comparison to many other jobs, it is small. Within the confines you will find many police officers and fire fighters married to 911 communications operators, it just goes with the territory sometimes.
When I retired from my career in 911 communications and moved to Washington and continued reaching out to our 'unseen heroes,' behind the radio and at times first responders, I always knew in the back of my mind, sooner or later I would be making a quilt for someone I worked with.
Little did I realize I would be making a quilt for an officer who is engaged to a 911 operator that I trained. I worked with both of these people and they are pretty special.
The one memory I have that sticks out is that while she was a trainee, I had him call in a bogus call of someone that was mentally ill to see how she could handle the situation. No! I wasn't picking on the mentally ill, I put my trainee's through many varying situations.
He calls and tells her there are people in his back yard and while she is asking the questions, he tells her they are purple and getting out of a tiny space ship. The look on her face was priceless, but she kept probing for information and he kept going and then hung up.
Without giving it a thought, she immediately followed protocol and called him back. By then, she knew it was a training exercise because he couldn't keep from laughing and I was trying hard not to.
The officer had a kidney removed that was cancerous years ago and now, his remaining kidney is failing and he can no longer work while he does home dialysis and waits for a kidney.
The quilt I have been working on for the past month or so will go to him. I felt it took so long to make because God knew this officer would have a need for it. I feel blessed to do this for such a dedicated man!
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